SHANGHAI, Jan. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Yum China Holdings, Inc. (the “Company” or “Yum China”, NYSE: YUMC and HKEX: 9987) today announced that it has been named for the third consecutive year to the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI), which recognizes companies committed to transparency in gender reporting and advancing women’s equality. The 2021 GEI includes 380 companies across 11 sectors representing 44 countries and regions. Yum China is the only company from Mainland China included in the latest GEI.
“To be included in the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index for the third year in a row is a proud achievement. This reflects our unwavering commitment to creating an environment where all of our employees can succeed, irrespective of gender,” said Joey Wat, CEO of Yum China. “It has never been more critical for companies to promote equal opportunities throughout the workplace and Yum China continues to make impressive progress in this area.”
The GEI brings transparency to gender-related practices and policies at publicly listed companies increasing the breadth of environmental, social, governance (ESG) data available to investors. The GEI measures gender equality across five pillars: female leadership and talent pipeline, equal pay and gender pay parity, inclusive culture, sexual harassment policies, and pro-women brand. Yum China performed particularly well on female leadership and talent pipeline, equal pay and gender pay parity, and sexual harassment policies, scoring above the 2021 GEI average in all these pillars. Yum China’s 2021 overall GEI score was also above the 2021 average overall GEI score.
“The companies included in the 2021 GEI are expanding the ESG data universe to include gender-related data that investors are demanding today,” said Peter T. Grauer, Chairman of Bloomberg. “Their commitment to disclosure is making the business case for inclusion, and driving transparency in the markets.”
Yum China is firmly committed to fostering a professional, inclusive and discrimination-free workplace for all of the Company’s 400,000 employees. By the end of the 2020 fiscal year, Yum China employed over 260,000 women, representing 64% of the Company’s total workforce. 54% of Senior Management level positions were held by women, and the Company continues to make great strides in nurturing talented female leaders across all management levels. One initiative in particular, recognized at the inaugural UN Women China WEP (Women’s Empowerment Principles) Awards in 2020, is KFC China’s “Mom restaurants for little migratory birds”, that provides employment for female migrant workers to allow them to be closer to their children. The program has been rolled out in more than 480 KFC restaurants in Hubei, Henan, Chongqing and Hunan provinces in China since its launch in 2019.